Case Study 2
In the contemporary world, a lot of things in how human beings relate and interact with the world around them have changed immensely. The traditional culture of society is also evolving, and the new culture that is more modernized is being adopted, which is highly influenced by the change of lifestyle in people. The issue of gender and sexuality has become a common point of debate in the society as majority of people have not yet conformed to the fact that gender and sexuality are evolving and people are at liberty of choosing the type of gender or sexuality they would like to identify with (Reisner et al., 2015). Because society has not yet entirely accepted the fact that an individual can choose to be recognized as being transgender, it has brought about adverse impacts on the lives of many transgender people in society. Measures should be put in place to ensure that those who identify themselves with different sexuality and gender are protected and treated as part of the community.
A person who is identified as a transgender person is a one who identifies with a gender that differs from their biological sex hence having an internal experience of gender. Being transgender does not confine one in specific sexual orientation, and they can identify themselves as being straight, lesbian, gay, or bisexual (Kull et al., 2016). The transitioning process of a transgender person is done medically, which can be surgical or non-surgical. There are surgical procedures that are performed on an individual to change their physical appearance and sexual organs. Also, there are non-surgical methods that require one to take hormone blockers to prevent their bodies from experiencing puberty changes. Due to how different they identify themselves, transgender people go through a lot of physical and psychological problems that are a result of the society not accepting them for who they identify as. Schools should put in place policies that accommodate students of all types, no matter what or who they identify as.
In the case of Tiana, a transgender person who was born as Michael, it is a clear indication of how society is not sufficiently evolved to accept people who identify with different sexuality and gender. Being a transgender person has made Tiana’s life difficult as she is bullied in school, which has resulted in her being depressed, and it has also affected her grades. Tiana wants to be identified as a female. She wants the society to allow her to behave like the girl she is no matter her physical sex features, which are the factors that should be put in place when attending to her need. When attending to Tiana’s needs, it should be noted that all she wants is to feel and be treated as a female.
The needs of the transgender student can be balanced with the needs of other students by ensuring that her wants are put into consideration. For example, if Tiana wants to be identified as a female that should be done and titles such as him and he or Michael should not be used on her. Also, the issue of restrooms the school should put up a neutral bathroom for those students that do not identify with their biological sex to prevent intimidation (Grant et al., 2011). Also, the student should be allowed to dress as they want and groom according to the gender and sexuality they identify with.
In the instance of Tiana, the school has a role to play in making her life comfortable and ensuring that she is protected from bullies of all types (Title IX and Sex Discrimination, 2020). This can be achieved by the school, creating awareness of the existence of transgender in society and how they should be treated. Through such sessions, other students will learn to understand other people, the gender and sexuality that they decide to identify with. The school can apply Title IX to protect the rights and freedoms of the transgender student, which ensures that they are well treated.
It is high time that society accepts the fact that the world is changing, and so are the people and the culture. It is high time the community changes its view on sexuality and gender as many people nowadays have a different type of lifestyle as compared to the traditional ones. No matter which gender or sexuality one identifies as it is essential to remember that they are still human beings, and they have rights that should be respected and protected. Bullying and Harassment of transgender should be stopped at all costs to prevent the adverse impact it has on them.
References
Grant, J. M., Motter, L. A., & Tanis, J. (2011). Injustice at every turn: A report of the national transgender discrimination survey.
Kull, R. M., Greytak, E. A., Kosciw, J. G., & Villenas, C. (2016). Effectiveness of school district anti-bullying policies in improving LGBT youths’ school climate. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 3(4), 407.
Reisner, S. L., Vetters, R., Leclerc, M., Zaslow, S., Wolfrum, S., Shumer, D., & Mimiaga, M. J. (2015). Mental health of transgender youth in care at an adolescent urban community health center: a matched retrospective cohort study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(3), 274-279.
Title IX and Sex Discrimination. (2020). Retrieved May 11, 2020, from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html